Basic Pressure-Cooked Stew with Dumplings

This post is part of our update of  meals from the past few months using recipes based on published recipes. Please be aware that we've bent the recipes to our will. If you'd like the original recipe, have a look at the cook book linked in the post.

You don't always feel like following recipes, but I'm not that familiar with pressure cooking. Not being able to see and test your food while it's cooking can be quite intimidating. However, it's nice to be create a simple stew with your pressure cooker -- that's one of the prime reasons for having it! I found a good generic stew recipe in from Chinda Chavich's 125 Best Pressure Cooker Recipes. I use the Chicken Stew with New Potatoes and Baby Carrots and just vary the ingredients to equivalents according to the type of stew I want to make. I like to serve with simple dumplings you dropped into the stew to steam. I use the Joy of Cooking's Dumplings (p334) recipe.

6L Pressure Cooker -- 12 minutes and quick release.

Stew

• 3 lbs meat
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 large onion -- minced
• 2 cloves garlic -- minced
• 1 tbsp flour
• 8 potatoes -- halved or quartered into 1.5 inch chunks
• 3 stalks celery -- diced
• 2 root vegetables (carrot, parsnip, turnip)
• 3 carrots -- chopped
• 1 cup stock
• 1/2 cup wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp parsley -- chopped
• 1 tsp dried herbs (thyme and sage for chicken, oregano and basil for beef, oregano and rosemary for pork -- vary as you desire)
• salt and pepper

Dumplings

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• herbs or onion (optional)

Stew

• Heat oil over medium heat.
• Brown meat in batches.
• Set meat aside.
• Drain all but 1 tbsp of fat.
• Saute onion and garlic for 2 minutes.
• Stir in flour, potatoes, celery, carrot, root vegetables.
• Gradually stir in stock and wine.
• Add bay leaf.
• Bring to a boil and return meat and its juices to cooker.
• Lock lid and bring to high heat.
• Once high pressure is reached, cook for 12 minutes.
• Prepare dumplings (see below).
• Turn off heat.
• Quick release pressure.
• Discard bay leaf.
• Stir in herbs.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Drop dumplings into stew from a spoon so they are barely touching.
• (Tip: dip spoon in stew before dipping in dumplings batter so batter easily slides off spoon.)
• Simmer 10 minutes.
• Serve at once.

Dumplings

• Beat egg.
• Add half of milk.
• Separately, whisk together dry ingredients.
• Stir liquid into dry ingredients.
• Stirring, add remaining milk until mixture is stiff, but pourable.
• Add the herbs or onion.